This invention relates to throwing toys, especially to an improved flexible flying disk made of fabric.
"Flying disk toy" is a term generic to devices best known by the trademark "Frisbee". Many dogs enjoy retrieving these toys. The standard molded plastic Frisbee, however, has some disadvantages as a pet toy. Its relatively hard material may injure a dog's mouth, and it cannot be safely thrown in crowded areas. And, while it retains its aerodynamic shape well, it cannot be folded for storage in a pocket or glove compartment.
Therefore, prior inventors have proposed softer, more flexible toys of this type. Many are made of a fabric, which can be easily folded. They typically have a rim that provides some stiffness, but can be bent without damage. The rim may comprise a foam core, a rubber tube, or other reinforcement.
In 1962, Hess et al. were issued a patent (U.S. Pat. No. 3,026,110) disclosing a disk-shaped projectile made of fabric filled with a soft wadding material. The periphery bead of the projectile was made by folding a single piece of material in a U-shape around wadding material, and then sewing the edges of that piece to upper and lower circular sections forming the center of the toy.
Milzoff et al. received U.S. Pat. No. 4,253,672 in 1981. Again, that device had a separate piece of cloth at its periphery, sewn to top and bottom fabric pieces; however, the core material was a foam rubber.
Newsome's U.S. Pat. No. 4,241,533 disclosed a disk having a central section formed from a single piece of material, bounded by a periphery comprising a foam rod contained within a fabric retainer whose edges were sewn to either side of the central section.
The Patent and Trademark Office has issued a substantial number of other patents for flexible flying disk